Senior NC leader Sheikh Mustafa Kamal
By Tehelka Web Desk
Senior Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) leader and former Cabinet Minister Sheikh Mustafa Kamal passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness, bringing to an end a decades-long career in public life and politics.
Kamal was serving as the Additional General Secretary of the National Conference and was among the party’s senior-most leaders. He was the son of National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, younger brother of NC president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, and uncle of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
A medical doctor by training, Kamal entered active politics in 1983 when he was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council. The same year, he was inducted into the Cabinet headed by then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.
He was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from the Gulmarg constituency in 1987 and represented the seat until 2002 after retaining it in successive elections. During his political career, he served as a Cabinet minister in National Conference governments formed in 1983, 1987 and 1996, holding several key portfolios.
Throughout his career, Kamal remained an influential figure within the National Conference, playing an important organisational role and actively participating in the party’s political affairs.
Political leaders across party lines, along with NC workers and supporters, expressed grief over his death, recalling his long association with public life and his contribution to the party.
According to the family, Sheikh Mustafa Kamal will be laid to rest at the Bominsar graveyard in Sonwar, Srinagar.
